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Lionsgate extend European distribution deals

May 23, 2012

US studio Lionsgate, has extended distribution agreements with France based StudioCanal and Scandinavian distributor Nordisk Film, May 2012.

Under the StudioCanal deal, Lionsgate will distribute 2,000 StudioCanal titles in the US via home video, transactional VOD, digital retail and subscription VOD. In return, the French distributor acquires the rights to distribute Lionsgate's Hunger Games and the film's sequel Catching Fire in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Lionsgate's Scandinavian deal is an extension of an existing partnership between Summit Entertainment and Nordisk. The agreement now covers Lionsgate's full feature film slate both for theatrical and home video distribution in Scandinavia.

The two agreements, signed at the Cannes film festival, demonstrate a strong commitment on the part of Lionsgate to develop an independent presence in the European market, albeit via licensees. This also furthers the relationship between Lionsgate and StudioCanal who have an existing distribution joint venture, Elevation, in the UK.

The deals place a number of potentially strong titles in the hands of larger European independents who, given their existing catalogues, are able to leverage such titles effectively. As part of the deal, Lionsgate has considerably extended the depth of their catalogue film offering in the US, still a key component in growing value as a studio and distributor. Furthermore, the US mini major has acquired the rights to those titles across a broad spectrum of video platforms.